Such a good point that not all recipes work! This was a hard lesson for me when starting out - food would come out bad and I would think it was my fault.
The book I always recommend for beginners is Nigella Express. This was the book that got me into cooking. What I like about it is that she writes very good introductions and actual recipes - you really get a sense of what to do (many books do not do this at all). Also there is a lot of info on how to stock and arrange your freezer/fridge/pantry so you can cook without going to the shop. Great range of recipes for all situations too.
There is a tv series ( on YT as well) where you can watch the food being made - I learn best visually so this was a big help.
I will check out the books you mention above they look great! It can be quite hard to get books for beginners as Insta/ tv is all about overly complicated food mostly which is intimidating and off putting!
I know how to make scrambled eggs; chop things up into basic salads and soups; and then there's chili-like concoction that was originally a sloppy joe's fillings recipe. Basically, yea, I live off what my dad cooks a lot of the time. But recently, I learned to make apple sauce (and apple butter is not far behind) -- I know that's super random, but it reminded me of this power we have to turn one food item into another! Doors are opening. Strongly considering that a cookbook might be the next step here.
Such a good point that not all recipes work! This was a hard lesson for me when starting out - food would come out bad and I would think it was my fault.
The book I always recommend for beginners is Nigella Express. This was the book that got me into cooking. What I like about it is that she writes very good introductions and actual recipes - you really get a sense of what to do (many books do not do this at all). Also there is a lot of info on how to stock and arrange your freezer/fridge/pantry so you can cook without going to the shop. Great range of recipes for all situations too.
There is a tv series ( on YT as well) where you can watch the food being made - I learn best visually so this was a big help.
I will check out the books you mention above they look great! It can be quite hard to get books for beginners as Insta/ tv is all about overly complicated food mostly which is intimidating and off putting!
I know how to make scrambled eggs; chop things up into basic salads and soups; and then there's chili-like concoction that was originally a sloppy joe's fillings recipe. Basically, yea, I live off what my dad cooks a lot of the time. But recently, I learned to make apple sauce (and apple butter is not far behind) -- I know that's super random, but it reminded me of this power we have to turn one food item into another! Doors are opening. Strongly considering that a cookbook might be the next step here.
honestly scrambled eggs & salad is a solid meal